St. Paul's Episcopal Church |
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This Week's News Highlights
Our Service This Week
Holy Eucharist on Facebook and for those in person will be at 8:30 AM on Sunday. See below for how to attend by either mode of participation.
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The Search Process Is Moving Forward!
The Rector search process is moving forward! The Search Committee has done yeoman work preparing questions and getting information ready for candidates. And yes! We hope to have candidates soon. With the Bishop’s approval of our parish profile, and permission to move forward, ads have been placed in prominent publications. Our shepherd is out there, so please pray for a successful discernment process.
Still Time To Contribute to the TRUE Fund
November 1 was All Saints Day. And, in the focus on the holiday, we forgot to mention that it was also TRUE Fund Sunday. As you know, the TRUE Fund (Toward Relief of Unexpected Emergencies) is St. Paul’s primary outreach to those in need in our community. If you wish to contribute to the TRUE Fund this month, please mark “TRUE Fund” on your check or, when using our giving page, be sure to note the designation when making your online contribution from the church giving page. (See below for the address to which to mail checks.)
Preparing For the the Annual Meeting.
Treasurer Dave Eyer and the Senior Warden will be presenting a budget to the vestry next week. The congregation will vote on the budget in January. The good news is that, thanks to member faithfulness, there is a way forward. It will take a lot of work and sacrifice, but St. Paul’s will be on solid ground when our new leader arrives.
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Please Join Us In Our New "Parlor" For a Chat
The “Group” is different from our Facebook “Page.” The group is designed to partially replace the time we had together at coffee hour and other church events. It is designed to be a new living room where we talk in a more open and intimate place to exchange ideas, news and even jokes. Help us build community by joining and sharing your own thoughts, needs and insights. When you join you may be asked to answer three short questions. This is to protect the integrity of this PRIVATE Facebook group. Please complete the questions and rest assured that, once in, you will be among friends.
Procedures to reserve your space at services
This information is important
Currently, a limited number of people are allowed to attend services in accordance with diocesan protocols. If you would like to attend, you will be asked to sign up in advance. Contact information will be required.
- Your name and the names of any family or household members who will attend with you.
- Your email address
- Your cell phone number
Email is greatly preferred, but reservations can also be made by calling the church office at 305-296-5142. If nobody answers please leave a message with the information.
To allow for a proper count, and to allow volunteers to prepare for your attendance, please complete your reservation by 2 PM on the Thursday before the Sunday you wish to attend. Please remember that you must wear a mask for the entire service and please arrive 10 minutes before the service begins.
The check in form now allows for attendees to indicate on the Sunday they attend if they will attend the next Sunday. Unless there is a change in circumstances, you do NOT have to notify the office if this option is utilized.
Please remember if you are at risk or have been exposed to the virus to NOT attend right now. We are all together, whether via Facebook or in person, and we worship together both ways.
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Sunday's Service
Join us Sunday for Holy Eucharist at 8:30 AM. Sign up in advance to attend in person (see above) or join us on Facebook.
To join via Facebook, go to the church Facebook page at the appropriate time and look for the window showing that "St. Paul's Key West is now live". Click on the window. (You may need to refresh the page a few times if the "live" window does not appear promptly at 8:30AM.)
Did you know you DO NOT need to have a Facebook account to view the service or visit our Facebook page? Simply use the Facebook page link to go directly to our Facebook page. Follow the directions above.
You can open or download the bulletin for the Sunday service here.
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Junior Warden's Report
By Greta Philips-Ford
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I was reminded this week how grateful I am to Ken and Isbel for power washing and cleaning all of the brick sidewalks on campus. I took a spill on my front walk due to the green algae that grows after a couple of days of rain and no Florida Sunshine!
The volunteer group will gather at 9:00 on Saturday and continue to work on campus, making it safe, beautiful and a calming space for meditation. We will be weeding the flower beds, transplanting and, if weather permits, starting on the Holy Innocents Hall project.
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The Lignum vitae (tree next to the Historic Rectory) that we planted earlier this summer will be replaced by the grower after they complete the root pruning process. It is always a touchy process when transplanting natives!
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With the Holidays around the corner, a fun gift to give would be a brick with a loved ones’ name or phrase. This will greatly help our efforts to replace the benches and make the necessary repairs to equipment. |
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The Memorial Garden altar/fountain has been cleaned and the leaks identified; now it is just a matter of funds to help make the necessary repairs so it will be fully functional. Watch this space for a link in the coming weeks to purchase a brick for the future of St. Paul’s.
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Senior Warden's Report
By Ray Warren
St. Paul’s is truly blessed, and good things are happening. I realize that I probably don’t convey that reality enough. Since we cannot gather, it seems important to communicate every week. And, because I think it is important to be transparent and communicative in these times of crisis, I sometimes write “in the moment.” I apologize if that sometimes seems to emphasize areas of concern.
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The truth is that I feel confident to speak honestly with members of our congregation because I KNOW, absolutely KNOW, that our people will rise to every challenge. I’d feel far less optimistic if I felt it necessary to sugarcoat every issue. And, thank God, we don’t have to do that. We have a congregation of amazing, giving and talented people with a "can do" attitude. And I want to celebrate some of that spirit this week.
This week I give thanks for Holle Campbell, our amazing vestry clerk, who, on her own initiative, sent us a list of well researched fundraising strategies. Her memo offers several innovative possibilities. None will solve all of our financial needs, but some will help chip away at them. And, nobody said, “Holle, will you do this?” She just did it.
I am also grateful to an unnamed person (I haven’t asked permission to give the name) who, upon hearing of our capital needs, wrote immediately with a promise to send a significant check and did so. One check doesn’t change the world - any more than one vote does. But one is part of many. Call and response is an important Christian theme. Thank you, wonderful member from the Commonwealth of Virginia. We are much closer to knocking one project off the list.
I give thanks that, with strict protocols, we have been able to have Facebook Live services without interruption (other than the week we joined the Bishop in a diocese wide celebration) since the pandemic began and that we’ve been able to have a live congregation since late July with no known virus transmission issues. I miss our wonderful choir. I miss singing myself. But I am grateful that some can stand "in witness for all" by being present as we enact the sacramental feast as commanded by our Lord. Every week is a gift.
And finally, I give thanks for this message from a couple from Ft. Myers who joined us last week: “We enjoyed the uplifting sermon and beautiful liturgy as always at St. Paul’s Church. We wish you the best in your search. I would think your parish would be a plum for any priest. We hope to see you again in May,”
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Tim's Online Musical Offering Will Return the First Thursday in December
Remember, you can find prior recordings of past concerts and musical offerings on St Paul’s Facebook page, or on YouTube.
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We Pray Each Day
Daily Morning and Evening Prayer is being offered on Facebook Live at 730 AM and 5 PM on weekdays.
Thanks to Bruce Hagemann, Lisa Laskow, Mary Simmons, Samantha Hall, Sarah Hall, Tim Peterson and for volunteering to officiate at these sacred moments.
To join in the prayers via Facebook, go to the church Facebook page at the appropriate time and look for the window showing that "St. Paul's Key West is now live." Then click on the window.
"Like" us and turn on live notifications to get a reminder whenever we are offering prayers.
Please pray this week for healing for
Betty Curry, Brittany (Sherri Hodies’ daughter), Freddie Varela, Beth and Jon Peterson (sister-in-law and brother of Tim), Mickey Malgrat and Peter Nanos
We pray for the departed and their loved ones:
Adrienne Shryock (mother of Sarah Kindinger)
"Into your hands, O merciful Savior, we commend your servants"
(Send your prayer requests to Tim@stpaulskeywest.org for future publication and to be included in the Sunday service. By default requests will be listed for four (4) weeks. But if the need continues, please let us know.)
We celebrate these November birthdays
Jane Burchett 11/04
Mike Benfield 11/05
Ashley Cyrillien 11/06
Brian Howard 11/13
Charles Hammond, Jr. 11/14
Michelle Garcia 11/15
Nathaniel Harris 11/16
India Hall 11/18
Lorilee McDaniel 11/18
Jeff Hillard 11/19
Wally Senney 11/21
Lilla Whiteside 11/23
Manuel Acevedo 11/26
Shirley Albury 11/26
Joan Sammy 11/26
Sandra Highsmith 11/27
Sheri Sampson 11/27
Kristy Smith Callaway 11/30
(If your name is missing from this month's birthday list please send a note to info@stpaulskeywest.org so we can add it.)
We Celebrate November Anniversaries:
Ronald & Sabrina Acevedo 11/01
Harvey & PK Lynch 11/08
Tim Peterson and Brian Wagstaff 11/09
Billy & Pamela Albury 11/17
Kip Colligan and Tiffany Hendry 11/22
Laurence & Alona Marius, Sr. 11/29
Lilla & Mark Whiteside 11/30
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Dave Eyer is conducting research. His history column will return. |
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Reminders
Sunday school is canceled during the virus emergency.
Back issues of The Epistle are available here.
These communications are currently edited by Senior Warden Ray Warren. Send questions and comments to the editor here.
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Tel. (305) 296-5142
Pastoral Emergencies (317) 414-4194
Office closed during the virus emergency
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